Minnesota Vikings fans who have DirecTV are likely to be out of luck this Sunday for the home finale and must-win game against the border rival Green Bay Packers.
KARE 11 has been blacked out on the television provider for nearly a month as TEGNA, the owner of KARE 11, and DirecTV work through a contract dispute. The Vikings and Packers are set to play on Sunday Night Football this New Year’s Eve with the local NBC affiliate carrying the game on Channel 11.
KARE 11 has a message on its website that directs to another page encouraging them to switch providers. The message reads:
DIRECTV HAS BROKEN ITS TV PROMISE TO YOU.Instead of delivering the best programming, DIRECTV keeps taking away your stations. Now, you’ve lost access to your local station and our news, NFL football and your favorite shows.
SWITCH NOW to a provider that won’t let you down. Our stations are available on every other provider in your market. You have more choices than ever and switching has never been faster or easier.
DirecTV claims TEGNA is looking for “double-digit annual rate increases that would make it the most expensive broadcaster nationwide.”
“It’s disappointing, but certainly not surprising, that TEGNA is just the latest to perpetuate what’s become the status quo for American broadcasters by using its territorial exclusivities and blackouts to extort ever-increasing rates for programming that remains free over-the-air,” Rob Thun, chief content officer of DIRECTV, said on the provider’s website. “We just can’t do this anymore–these price increases are unsustainable for the average consumer. It’s a badly broken model that erodes trust, eliminates choice, and keeps delving deeper into the wallets of our already overtaxed customers.”
If you’re in a pinch and have no other way to watch the game, a last resort could be buying an antenna ($11.99 for this Indoor flat HDTV antenna at Target). KARE 11 is an over-the-air network and an antenna will allow you to get the game feed without being subscribed to a cable, satellite or streaming provider.
The Vikings and Packers kick off at 7:20 p.m. CT. Sunday.
